What Do I Need To Know?
ABSORPTION OF ENERGY
All movement activity generates energy. Energy directly returned to the body can result in shin splints, back and knee problems, fatigue, strains, and even broken bones. A non-energy absorbent floor or flooring system is dangerous. It can result in injury and law suits. Concrete is non-energy absorbent. Any substance put directly on concrete does not remove you from the concrete unless it contains air (like foam). Basket weave and foam sprung floating subfloors provide shock absorbent characteristics that eliminate the problems associated with hard, non-absorbent floors.
No floor can be the most absorbent and the most resilient at the same time. There is only so much energy and it can only be diffused in varying relationships of absorption and resilience. We call that "feel" and it affects performance. Different surfaces and subfloors have different "feels," each appropriate for different styles of sport.
LATERAL FOOT SUPPORT
Perhaps the most important and most overlooked attribute of a floor is lateral foot support. Without lateral foot support, you can not maintain balance. Today, the leading cause of injury is not shin splints but ankle injury, due in part to flooring systems that rely solely on absorbent materials or systems that are too spongy.
A term you may come across is point elastic, meaning deflection of the floor at the point of impact. The greater the deflection, the more unstable the floor.
RESILIENT ENERGY
In addition to absorbency, energy can be dissipated by resiliency—think of a diving board or trampoline. Energy transfers from the body to a subfloor that deflects and safely returns energy (spring). Wood is the best of the resilient materials.
OTHER FACTORS
There is no one floor that fits every need. However, there is a best floor that fits your needs. Here are other factors to consider when choosing a floor/floor system.
- Does the flooring system have a means of reducing vibration after impact?
- Can the system be modified easily for special conditions (multi purpose/heavy equipment)?
- Is the surface consistent?
- How do I repair damaged areas without replacing the whole floor?
- What type of maintenance is required?
- Can I take the floor or flooring system with me if I move?
There are options and the company that knows how you move (ballet, tap, jazz, modern, theatre sport, multi-purpose) will be qualified to help.
Call us with your questions. We will have the answers and the numbers that go with them.
Non-slip
Safety is the number one issue when it comes to floors. The first safety concern is the non-slip characteristic of the surface. What to do?
Aerobic, step, and jazzercise need one kind of surface while people working with weights and machines need something entirely different. Multi-purpose, track, and ball sports have their own ideal characteristics.
Aeson has floors and subfloor systems ideal for each discipline.
Safety
The second safety concern has to do with the ability of the floor to absorb and dissipate energy, and/or safely return energy (resilient energy). If the floor fails to absorb or safely return energy, the body becomes the shock absorber, resulting in fatigue, pain, and injury. The nemesis of physical fitness is concrete or any other surface that is hard and unyielding.
All floor surfaces without foam underlayment provide no relief from a concrete slab. Click here for relative characteristics and the ideal combination for your movement activity.
